Arcane Innovator

Seeing the monstrous form emerge from the fog, we all jumped back, hurriedly raising our swords in a defensive stance.

All except Weasel, who quickly drew a small composite bow while positioning herself at the back of our haphazard formation.

A putrid stench emanated from the creature's every pore, assaulting our senses and making me gag. I couldn't quite see what it was, but it definitely looked big and dangerous.

However, before I could react, Ram sprang into action, lunging forward with his sizable shield and ramming the monster's soft underbelly. Vixen swiftly followed suit, her sword glinting in the dim light as she aimed for the creature's eyes.

I watched in awe as they both moved, rapidly attacking with the kind of precision that could only be gained by spending countless hours diligently practicing.

I didn't want to get in their way, so I moved slightly to the side, and then I finally got a clear view of the creature in all its hideous glory.

It looked like some kind of lizard the size of a horse covered in a layer of thick armored scales that protected most of its elongated body.

Its legs were short but muscular, ending in sharp claws that dug into the soft ground. Rows of razor-sharp teeth protruded from its mouth that dripped with saliva.

At first, it looked like Ram and Vixen's attacks managed to hold it at bay, yet at a closer look, I noticed it didn't even leave a scratch on its scaly skin. The only thing our party's attacks seemed to accomplish so far was to make the monster mad.

The lizard's eyes glowed with an insatiable hunger, and I could feel my heart race as it locked its malicious gaze onto us.

In the next moment, the lizard's serpentine tail lashed through the air like a monstrous whip. With a deafening whoosh, it effortlessly snapped the nearby reeds in half before unleashing a powerful gust of wind, nearly knocking us off our feet.

I could see the almost palpable distress in Vixen's amber eyes as it was evident this monster was well above our party's capabilities. Yet despite the futility of her attacks, she continued to struggle, swinging her sword with all her might.

From the corner of my eye, I also saw Weasel standing behind us and shooting arrow after arrow in quick succession. I noticed that she expertly aimed at the small gaps between the monster's impenetrable scales, but she, too, failed to puncture its tough skin.

It looked like Weasel was the first to realize the mortal danger we found ourselves in, and with widened eyes and trembling hands, she hurriedly grasped the tiny whistle we all were made to wear around our necks just for these types of situations.

She blew into it with all her might, producing a loud pitched sound that reverberated far and wide, announcing our party's distress. Still, it would take a while before any Instructor would make it here, so we were on our own for now.

As I watched the hopeless battle unfold right before my eyes, a sudden surge of adrenaline coursed through my veins, and I raised my sword.

Although my fellow party members were total strangers to me, I couldn't simply stand there and do nothing while they fought for their lives.

Not after they so eagerly accepted me without any reservations despite my apparent lack of experience with the sword. To see them all die like that when I could do something about it wouldn't sit right with me.

Gripping my sword tightly, I took a deep breath and charged forward, determination fueling my every step.

Dodging the creature's thrashing tail, I darted in close, my eyes glued to the lizard's sickly green scales as I tried my best to find an opening between them.

I knew I could easily slay it with magic, but trying to deliver a killing blow with a sword was a totally new experience for me.

I patiently waited for the exact moment when it was being distracted by Vixen's strike before closing in.

I focused inwardly, sending a surge of essence to my trembling legs. With a burst of energy, I leaped forward, my sword aimed straight at the lizard's vulnerable underbelly.

Being well aware that simply hitting it wouldn't amount to anything, as evidenced by Ram and Vixen's futile attempts, I coated my sword with essence, forming a blade of compressed air around it as I swung the sword with everything I had.

Yet a moment before I could deliver my deadly strike, the lizard sensed the imminent danger it found itself in and instantly turned toward me.

Then, it lashed at me viciously, disregarding the others as it must have realized I posed the most prominent threat.

I widened my eyes as it was already too late to change directions. So I clenched my teeth as I prepared myself for the inevitable clash.

Everything seemed to slow down when we collided, resulting in a huge bang as we both came to an abrupt stop.

Still, my power wasn't anything to scoff at. As my air blade connected with the lizard's body, its mighty armored scales instantly cracked, and the sword went right in, slicing through the tough hide and drawing first blood.

Yet the cheap sword provided by the Guild couldn't hope to endure such enormous pressure, and it too broke in half but not before lodging itself deep inside the lizard's flesh.

The creature let out a monstrous roar of pain, mindlessly thrashing about as it writhed in agony. My joy at delivering a successful strike didn't last long as I was thrown back before crashing into a nearby bush.

However, this slight distraction was enough for Ram, who seized the opportunity.

While throwing away his mangled shield, he grasped his broadsword in both hands as he jumped up before delivering a powerful strike on the lizard's neck, almost half-severing its head in the process.

This kind of wound seemed too much even for the mighty lizard, as the monster weakly convulsed a few times before it stopped moving altogether.

Finally, the lizard was dead. I uttered a silent curse as I laboriously collected myself from the ground before wincing away in pain.

Looking at my left arm, I realized that my previous achievement wasn't without a price.

'The lizard's sharp scales must have brushed against me as it was thrashing about...' I thought as I looked at the deep gash on my forearm.

After briefly examining my wound, noting that it was not too serious, I quickly tried to hide it before anyone noticed it so that I could take care of it later with my elixir.

But before I had a chance to do any of that, a concerned voice sounded from behind me. "Let me see that."

'Oh, crap!' With a sigh, I reluctantly turned around, only to find a tired-looking Vixen pointing at my forearm with a slight worry in her eyes.

'Huh? Why are you so caring all of a sudden?' I silently questioned her as she barely spoke to me at all throughout the entire morning.

Yet I still let her take a look at it as I couldn't possibly say no without it being suspicious.

"This looks bad... We need to quickly clean it and bandage it. Hey Ram! Give me a hand!"

"Aaaargh!" I couldn't help but scream in pain as Vixen promptly washed my wound with water and then, with Ram's eager help, tightly bandaged it with a clean piece of linen she was probably carrying for this exact purpose.

It was then that the Instructors finally made it to us, and as they saw the massive monster lying motionlessly across the small clearing, they all widened their eyes in horror.

They quickly ran up to us; however, as if by a miracle, we were all alive and mostly okay. They then helped us carry the lizard's carcass back toward the rendezvous point, as we weren't in any condition to continue.

'Oh no...' As we were slowly trudging back through the muddy terrain, I realized that I would now have to bear with this the whole way back to the town.

'It hurts, it really hurts...' When we finally came all the way back to the spot where we started this stupid Hunt, I couldn't endure it anymore.

So I tried to covertly remove the tightly wrapped bandage to at least apply a few drops of the elixir to partially close the gaping scratch and somehow alleviate the throbbing pain. Yet I couldn't even do that.

"Don't touch that!" Vixen's sharp eyes never left me the whole way back as she vigilantly observed me, ensuring my wound stayed nice and clean.

'Oh, how I hate parties!' I grumbled all the way back into Ostengard.

***

After we made it safely back to the Guild, it was already evening, and I was utterly spent as I had never had to endure such intense pain for so long.

Sending a resentful glare in Vixen's direction, I collapsed on a nearby bench, clutching my teeth, trying my best to endure this agony.

I was hoping that they would leave me alone after we came back so that I could heal it and then pretend there was no wound in the first place, yet once more, I was painstakingly mistaken as Vixen never left my side the whole time while we waited until Ram sold the lizard's carcass to the Guild.

With a bitter smile, I couldn't help but wonder, 'Is this what they call a camaraderie?' It was baffling to me that someone who was not family would show such a keen interest in my well-being as I have never encountered anything like this so far in this world.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Ram returned with concern etched onto his round face.

"Come, the Guild doesn't have its own physician, but we have a barber, and he agreed to see you!"